


new horizons and the taste of your lips

by lightningmcqveer



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Erik Lehnsherr Loves Charles Xavier, Idiots in Love, M/M, various references to animal crossing even though author has never played animal crossing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningmcqveer/pseuds/lightningmcqveer
Summary: "i'm in love with you."erik cuts the call in pure, wild panic.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	new horizons and the taste of your lips

_i'm slipping under_

a familiar nauseating track breaks erik out of his concentrated glaring at turnip prices. he sighs, reaching out to put an end to britney spears' toxic and swipes right.

he knows what's happened before charles' face shows up on screen, looking somehow even more pouty than he usually is.

"didn't go well?" erik wagers unnecessarily, if only to make the other man bite back at him.

there's shuffling from charles' side, giving erik a chance to look at him properly.

" _what_ are you wearing?"

"what am i— clothes, erik. have you forgotten what they are?"

erik stares at him incredulously. "who wears tweed on a first date?"

charles xavier, god bless him, has the audacity to look affronted at that remark.

"don't tell me it's—"

"fancy!"

charles finishes with a too cheery grin. erik has to physically stop himself from reaching through the screen and wring his pretty neck.

you're poor, he reminds himself. your phone cannot survive an attempted murder.

"you're hopeless." he says, shaking his head, putting a hand over his forehead to add into the drama.

"shut up, erik." charles sticks his tongue out to be extra. that he is, so incredibly extra that it drives erik crazy. "it's not like you're any better."

erik snorts. "at least i don't dress like an 80 year old college professor."

"i'm on my way to becoming one." charles grumbles, picking at his sweater. it's dark blue, complimenting his eyes.

he looks good, erik thinks. even without any effort, charles is attractive. his style may be dismal but it's so wholely _charles_ that he pulls it off, and he pulls it off incredibly well.

throat feeling weirdly dry considering he drank water not too long ago, erik reaches for his bottle, trying to drown his thoughts.

"try new clothes, i guess." he mumbles, not noticing the expression on charles' face.

it feels wrong tell charles this because erik doesn't agree with it at all. he does it anyway. he has to speak for other people's preferences, not his own, right?

_lying again._

"aren't rich people supposed to have good fashion sense anyway?"

"since when have you known me to be your typical rich person?"

"since you showed me your disgustingly big mansion and called it your winter holidays getaway." erik replies, deadpan.

it works, charles breaking out into a laugh, remnants of rejection leaving him.

"seriously, charles, what is _up_ with that? it looks haunted—"

and with that, they both delve deep into the conversation, all things seemingly forgotten.

only seemingly.  
  


_with a taste of a poison paradise_  
  


erik grabs his phone swiftly, attending the call only to be met with indiscernible noise from charles' side.

"i swear if you've called me drunk from another party of yours, i'll block your number forever."

charles looks personally offended when he does show up partly, his eyebrows enough of a mood indicator. "that was once, erik."

"i had to guide the cab to your apartment. an apartment i've never been in. an apartment in another city. did i mention i haven't been in said city?"

"you could be."

huh.

he hadn't been expecting that.

charles fills in for his abrupt silence, face now fully visible, open and vulnerable. "you could be here."

there's tension between them now. oh how erik despises it, not knowing what to say. there's a million things going on in his head, each running over the other to give charles the answer. what comes out however is

"why did you call?"

with a blink, the suffocating atmosphere is gone.

if charles is disappointed by the lack of an answer, he doesn't let it show, face calm and collected.

it catches erik off guard sometimes, his best friend's ability to school himself so perfectly. if he had been a lesser man, he'd have wondered how many times charles had lied to him with a straight face and how many times erik had believed him without a doubt.

"i'm not interrupting anything important?" he asks, teeth gnawing on his lips.

erik gazes off to the side at the open screen displaying his villagers and shakes his head, not trusting himself to say anything.

"for this," charles flips the camera and erik's jaw drops.

he's dressed in dark leather, pants hugging his thighs, and _oh god is erik salivating wait can charles see his drool he's fucked he's so fu_

"erik?"

he snaps back, staring at charles' anxious face on the mirror.

"you're gorgeous," erik blurts out.

you always look like that, he wants to say. even in your ugly jumpers and that god awful sweater vests, you're beautiful, and if it was up to me, i'd never ask you to change anything about yourself.

instead, he meets charles' stunned figure and says weakly, "i mean aesthetically. leather never fails."

( the memory hits him hard, broken accent screaming, " _when will you stop lying to everyone? to yourself, erik?" )_

charles nods warily, looking almost hurt.

oh god, erik. he screams internally. why are you so awkward. why are you still alive, you massive fuck up.

"you could get a turtleneck." he suggests.

it's the right thing to say when charles crinkles his nose and erik has to inhale thrice very, very slowly to stop himself from calling charles adorable, "i'm not wearing a turtleneck."  
  


_i'm addicted to you_  
  


he frowns, staring at his ringing phone for a moment too long. charles shouldn't be back from his date so soon.

erik shakes his head in disgust, wondering which ungrateful dumbass walked out on charles in _leather._ tweed, he can excuse. it seems only erik can handle charles in tweed.

the thought shouldn't delight him so but it does. he can't bring himself to feel too guilty about it.

which is he why blanks out when he sees charles' brilliant toothy smile.

no, the date must have went well. erik should be happy for his friend. his best friend.

all he feels is a sinking feeling in his chest, a burning that feels like jealousy.

that's stupid. erik isn't envious of charles finally having a successful date. he's jubilant, in fact. cry til your eyes are as empty as your chest kinda happy. 

_liar liar liar liar liar liar liar_

he blinks, hands trembling when he runs them through his hair. "went amazing?"

"not at all." charles declares, tone matching his joyful face.

"you're hilarious."

"no, really. i excused myself. he was upset but he'll get over it soon. or not." charles looks amused.

erik, on the other hand, is stumped. "why?"

"we didn't vibe, i guess." charles shrugs.

didn't vibe, erik exhales. he shouldn't be so relieved. 

"you're going to be alone forever. who's ever going to understand you?"

a dark look passes over charles' face too quick. if erik had seen it, he'd have called it frustration. "it's not like you'd be any different."

erik sighs. "you're right. i wouldn't want you to be too left out. you'd make that pathetic puppy face and people would think i made a high schooler cry."

"i'm twenty one!"

"practically ancient. i bet you'll go bald in five years or so." erik teases.

charles scoffs. "that's debatable. i can already see white in your hair."

erik ignores him. "oh charles, don't be too hurt. i think you'd look rather stunning with no hair."

"i abhor you. your existence causes me so much despair. every day i have to wake up in a world where a monstrosity like you is still alive and breathing. i'm so frustrated i could rip my hair out." charles gasps all of a sudden, like he's reached upon a revelation.

"you'll drive me bald, erik lehnsherr. my fated rival, destined soulenemy, destroyer of britain's natural treasure."

erik has to restrain himself from laughing too hard, fingers digging in at his ribs. "right. i was planted in your life to become your best friend and shave all your precious hair off decades later to make the betrayal hurt even more."

charles eyes him. "how did you go from calling me baby face to making me bald?" 

it's a wonder if erik knows. it's the charles effect, perhaps. it makes him unpredictable, makes him feel all sorts of stuff he can't explain.  
  
  


for once, it's erik who calls first. there's a ring, another, and erik imagines charles rushing to shut the animal crossing music up.

he picks up on the fifth ring, wet brown hair falling in curls over his sunken eyes. "i had forgotten how annoying it was."

"better than britney."

charles places a hand over his heart. "you wound me, you uncultured brute. britney is an icon."

"so is raymond."

"is that the grumpy cat?" with erik's nod, he continues, "how terribly egoistic. of course your favourite is the one who's exactly like you."

"i'm going to hang up on you."

charles laughs, "you're so prissy and for what? grumpy old man erik. alone forever with his virtual animals."

charles' happiness limit is probably off the charts with how overjoyed he looks, smile reaching his eyes for once.

"sure," erik says, "we can be alone together. loser charles who can't be in a relationship for shit and his considerate friend erik who would do anything to make him feel less lonely."

the brunette rolls his eyes, "how grateful i am for your kindness, mr lehnsherr. how could i ever repay you."

"play animal crossing with me, you rich disappointment."

"i could visit your village, i presume. we could be neighbours."

he keeps speaking, and erik hums to agree. that'd be nice. he imagines having charles close, right next door.

they last met on erik's graduation, since he packed his bags and ran away without a second thought. four years since they fought, yelling and scratching til erik left charles on the beach they met on. 

it would be so, so sweet to see charles again. just to have him there, even for a fleeting second. he'd think after years that he would feel it a little less but somehow erik misses charles more every day.

"they say companionship is the longest love confession." charles mentions off handedly and erik's heart stops.  
  
  


_don't you know that you're toxic_  
  
  


"it's 3 am what is wrong with you oh my god charles are you dru—"

charles' exhausted voice is enough to cut his complaining off. "erik.."

".. it's 3 am."

"i love you."

erik cuts the call in pure, wild panic.

he had refused to think of it ever since that call but erik lehnsherr is only human, can only deny so much before staring truth in the face.

years of living with this strange tenderness that encompasses him whenever he thinks of charles never lead him to the word love.

he dives for his phone. charles picks up after the second ring.

but in the end, he supposes it's the one that seems most appropriate. a simple four letter answer to four years of confusion, yearning for a home within a person.

"i'm sorry i've been too scared to admit it," erik whispers, raw and honest. "i didn't notice it til too late, i'm so sorry. i've always been in love with you."

**Author's Note:**

> charles would 100% bop to britney spears, i do not take constructive criticism. also erik plays animal crossing because i said so. i tried to add some plot to spice it up but this is..honestly still as bland as white people food. well :D this is just self indulgence at this point so 
> 
> happy birthday will !! i'm really, really happy i met you. please take this as a dumb congrats for making it another year. in cats years, you'd be practically ancient now.


End file.
